Automatic latch.



N0- 846,65l. PATENTVEDLMAR.' 125' 1907.

' "fG.-G. EMMERT.

AUTOMATIC LATCH. ArPLIcATIoN Hmm rusa. 190s.

n CPPT I eorge. C'Zmmev tion.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Application led February 8. 1906.' Serial No. 300,078.

To (t/Z whom, it 717,607/ concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. EMMERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Morris, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Automatic Latch, of. which the following is a specifica- This invention relates to improvements in door-latches of that class known as automatic latches, in which the latch-holt is projected by the closing of the door so as to engage a catch or latch-plate secured to the door frame or jamb, and while it is more especially'intended for the doors of barns and other outhouses, yet it is applicable for use on the doors of furniture and the like; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specilically claimed. I

The principal object of the invention is to provide a latch of the above-named character which shall be automatic in its latching operation and which shall be cheap and simple in construction and otherwise adapted and more convenient for use.

A further object is to furnish a latch which may be operated from either side of the door and which is reversible-that is, it can be used at either edge of the door-with its parts so constructed and arranged that they will be located on the inner surface of the door without any externally-projecting parts to catchv on harness or to injure animals or to permit accidental unlatching of the door or the unlatching thereof by a mischievous animal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will he disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmental face view of a door and its j amb, showing by dotted lines a latch embodying the invention secured to the door and the parts in their latched positions. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig.u 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, but showing the bolt, actuating-spring, and engaging spring-lever for the bolt in elevation and also l illustrating by dotted lines the positions the parts will assume when the bolt is retracted and the door open. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the front end of the bolt-casing, showing it secured to apart ol' the door, but wththe bolt removed, yet illustrating the engaging spring-lever in position to hold the bolt in its retracted position; and Fig. l is a rear end view of the bolt-casing, showing' it secured to a part of the door, but illustrating the bolt removed.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawing.

The door is designated by the referencenurneral 10 and has near the inner end of the bol t-casing a horizontally-elongated opening 11, througn which the iinger or a suitable instrument may be inserted for retracting the holt. Secured horizontally to the inner surface of thel door near one of its edges is the bolt-casing 12, which is preferably rectangular in cross-section, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 or the drawing, but has laterally-extending flanges 13 at its inner portion to rest on the inner surface of the door, to which it i's fastened by means of screws 14E, passing through suitable openings in said flanges. Each end of the casing 12 is formed with an opening 15, usually circular in form, as shown, for the reception and operation of the bolt 16, which is preferably circular in cross-'section; but it will be understood that said bolt may be of other shape and the openings 15 in the ends of the casing of a corresponding form. The front end of the Pasing 12 is provided below the opening 15 therein with a slot or recess 17 for the reception and operation of a portion of the engaging spring-lever 18 for the holt. The opposite end of the casing 12 is also preferably provided with a recess 19 for `the rear end of said lever, which portion of the lever is provided with two spaced-apart and outwardly-extending lugs 2O to engage the rear end of the casing, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 11 of the drawing.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the spring-lever 18 extends through both ends of the bolt-casing and rests near its rear end on a transverse rod 21, securedat its ends in the sides of the casing, and that the front portion of the lever 18 has just outside of the front end of the casing an outwardlyextending lug 22, which when the springlever exerts itself will be projected infront of the opening 15in the front end of the casing,

IIC

as well as in front of the bolt 16 when the latter has been retracted, and will thus hold the bolt in its retracted position until the door is closed, when the forward extension 23 of the spring-lever 18 will strike the outer surface 24 of the latch-plate, thus depressing the spring-lever, and thereby releasing the bolt 16, which will be projected through the opening 25 in the latch-plate and into the socket 26 in the face ofthe jamb 27 by means of the spring 28, which is coiled around a porti'on of the bolt 16 and has one of its ends resting against the rear end of the casing and its other against a projection 29 on the bolt.

The bolt 16 is provided at its rear end with a portion 30, which extends substantially at a right angle to the bolt proper and across the opening 11 in the door, so that said portion may be reached by the 'finger of the person opening the door or by means of a suitable instrument inserted through said open- 111g'.

As shown in Fig. 2, the latch-plate 211 on the jamb or door-frame 27 is angular in crosssection, thus presenting one of its surfaces toward the door, which will be impinged by the portion 23 of the spring-lever, thus protecting the jamb or door-frame against wear incident to the action of the parts.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new,y and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

in an automatic latch, the combination with a hollow casing secured to the door and having an opening in each of its ends and a recess or slot in its iront end, ot a bolt located in said openings and lhaving a downturned end, an actuating-spring coiled around the bolt within the casing and engaging at one of its ends the bolt and at its other end one end of the casing, an engaging spring-lever located longitudinally in the casing and eX- tending through the ends thereof between the bolt and door, said spring-lever having at one of its ends spaced-apart lugs to engage one end of the casing and provided near its other end with an outward projection located outside of the front end of the casing to engage the front end of the bolt, and also provided at its front end with a forward eX- tension to coact with the latch-plate, and a rod transversely secured on the casing below said spring-lever, substantially as described.

GEORGE C. EMMERT.

l/Vitnesses:

J. S. RICE, A. M. NEwooMER. 

